1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system by which product, such as a plurality of packaged articles, can be confined within a container which serves its normal purpose of containing the articles, such as for storage and/or shipment, with the container itself then being utilized to mount the product at a convenient location for display and/or easy access.
2. Background Art
There are in the prior art display containers by which product, such as a plurality of packaged articles, can be placed in a container for shipping, storage or the like, with this container being able to be used also for displaying the product. For example, the container can be made up of a base portion which confines the article, generally on at least three sides, and a movable cover portion which can be either torn free of the base portion or folded upwardly therefrom, to expose the product and also make the product accessible to, for example, customers. Normally, such containers are provided for countertop display, or possibly to be placed on shelves.
One of the problems with such containers is that there are many competing used for the countertop area, and quite often such space is limited, the result being that it's not practical to use this premium space for a multiplicity of display packages. Further, shelf space may not readily available, and providing large areas of shelving can also be expensive.
Another form of merchandising is the use of pegboards or slot boards. A pegboard is commonly provided in the form of a large rectangular board (e.g. a sheet of plywood or some composite material) having a plurality of through holes formed therein, these holes being arranged in a uniform rectangular pattern. The wall board is mounted so that it is spaced a short distance (e.g. an inch or less) from a structural wall, and articles are hung to the board by means of J-hooks or some other hanging device. The J-hook has an end hook member to engage a hole or opening provided in the package for the product (or possibly a wire or string attached to the product), and a securing end which is in the form of a right angle finger. The J-hook is placed into the slot board by positioning the shank of the J-hook horizontally, and then slipping the right angle finger into securing engagement with a selected hole in the pegboard. Slot boards function in a quite similar manner, and these differ from a pegboard in that the hook can be moved to any selected location along the horizontal length of the slot.
Among the advantages of such pegboards or slot boards are that they can be provided rather economically, and they provide a good deal of versatility in conveniently displaying the products. The spacing of the holes or slots can be such that small articles can be hung relatively close together, and larger articles can be attached to hooks or slots spaced at a further distance. Further, it's quite convenient for a customer to select an article simply by removing it from the J-hook.
When a plurality of packaged articles are to be mounted to a pegboard or slot board, the usual method is to remove these packaged articles from the shipping carton or container and then hang the articles from the board, as described above. If this container happens to be a display container, such as that described above, quite commonly the container is either discarded or simply used for another purpose.
A search of the patent literature has disclosed a number of patents relating generally to display containers, containers which can be suspended for various purposes, and also various hanging devices for pegboards, slot boards or the like. These are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,599--Meyers discloses what is called a "Divided Display Carton" where the carton is formed by folding a sheet of cardboard of a particular configuration so that it provides a bottom wall, back wall, two side walls, and also a relatively short front wall. The back wall is formed with two through openings by which the carton can be suspended by hooks, pegs or other hanging devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,297--Paulin shows a carton which contains a plurality of packages, each of which has a hanging tab with a through opening. The cover of the carton can be moved to expose the packages and their hanging tabs. Then a rod-like member can be inserted through the hanging tabs of the several packages so that these packages can then be displayed, presumably by being hung from the rod-like member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,131--Larson shows a support member comprising a horizontal plate member having various opening configurations to hold articles, and a plurality of right angle securing fingers by which the device can be mounted to a pegboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,034--Marschak shows a device where a shelf can be detachably secured to a pegboard. There are two wire-like hanging devices which can be attached to opposite ends of the shelf member and in turn attached to a pegboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,727--Greenlee shows a bracket by which a toolbox or tote box can be suspended from a pegboard in its open position. More specifically, this hanging device has arms which support the bottom portion of the box, and also arms which hold the lid in the open position.
A number of patents show containers having openings on their side walls or on laterally positioned tabs so that these openings can be gripped by a handle member or the like to suspend or carry the container. These patents are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 674,489--Wall PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,939,867--Thompson PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,430,302--Ringler PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,901,144--Haustrup.
Other fastening and/or mounting devices are shown in the following patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,749,153--Baker shows a spring detent coupling device to engage telescoping parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,513--Caldwell shows a shelf-mounting system by which a shelf can be mounted with J-hooks to a board.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,009--Meyer et al discloses a heat exchanger core for a recuperator. The core has a number of laterally projecting tabs by which the core can be mounted.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,241,353--Burdick shows a hook fastener having a J-hook-like member along with another mounting element to assist in mounting the device to a slot board or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,913,210--Tischnor shows a device to display postcards or the like of various sizes to a pegboard. U-shaped brackets are provided to grip the objects to be suspended, and these are in turn mounted by right angle finger members to a slot board.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,724--Alling shows a J-hook member for suspending articles to a pegboard, along with a second retaining member engaging the J-hook member.
U.S. Pat. No 3,014,597--McWherter shows what is called a "Hanger Board" where there is a combination of peg slots. A support member has a pair of right angle finger members, one of which fits in a peg, and the other of which fits into a slot.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,550--Marcus illustrates a rack mounted to a pegboard. The rack has a plurality of appertures to hold articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,392,949--Meyer, Jr. shows a mounting device where J-hook-like members are used to mount a shelf or the like to a pegboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,409,260--Bleed shows a connector having a pair of right angle fingers to mount a rod-like device to a pegboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,677--Hindley shows a J-hook-like member with an adapter or catch 17 engaging the hook.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,294--Kalbow et al discloses a device to provide a horizontal mounting surface to support a container from a pegboard.
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 23,286--Oliver shows a securing device to mount an object, such as a plate, to a lower plate. There is a mounting ringer having a triangularly shaped spring-like member which fits through an opening in the base plate.